Mar 20, 2021|
Ahead of JD’s “Sleep Festival,” New Report Finds Gen Z is Seeking Perfect Sleep Conditions
by Kelly Dawson
As the stresses of career and life wear on China’s younger generation, sleep has become an ever more elusive obsession, according to the new “Five Senses Sleep Consumption Report for Gen Z” released by JD Big Data Institute two days ahead of JD.com’s sixth sleep festival on March 19th, which offers a wide range of sleep aide products, cooperating with renowned home brands including Sleemon, Suibao, Luolai and more.
Dubbed the “Panda Generation” for the dark circles under their eyes due to lack of sleep, 40% of young Chinese born after 1995 go to sleep after midnight in order to seize back their few free hours after work, according to the report—and when they are ready to sleep, they are far more likely than other generations to rely on sleep aides that engage the five senses of “vision, hearing, smell, warmth and touch,” according to the report.
For example, sales of sleep-assisting ambient lights and blackout curtains on JD among Gen Z shoppers have increased by 85% YOY, all designed to achieve the perfect controlled sleeping environment. Audio-based sleep aides are also popular, with sales of white noise sleeping machines and soundproof flooring up by 86% on JD among Gen Z shoppers in 2020. Next up: smell. Sales volume of sleep sprays and aromatherapy devices among students has grown by 1.9 times YOY.
Soaking one’s feet before bed was once seen as the habit of the older generation, but Gen Z is increasingly focused on warmth to aide sleep, purchasing pedicure kits, heated massage machines and more, with sales on JD among students growing by 2.7 times YOY.
While the previous items are all relatively small purchases, Gen Z is not afraid to spend big to ensure better sleep, leading us to the final “sense”: touch. Sales of mattresses on JD among Gen Z has increased by 244% YOY, across a wider range of mattresses including latex mattresses, coconut palm mattresses and more, demonstrating that this generation believes in finding the perfect fit for their needs.